Tape feed for identification machine



Dec. 12, 1961 P. N. BRAUN 3,012,773

TAPE FEED FOR IDENTIFICATION MACHINE Filed Oct. 28, 1959 86 a2 /l28 :2 92 9o 85 I50 U442 94 9 I44 I48 I40 62 6O INVENTOR.

4 Phil/:0 /V. Braun |32 F/6 3 BY 34 W W ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 1 3,012,773 Patented Dec. 12, .1961

3,012,773 TAPE FEED FOR IDENTIFICATION MACHINE Philip J. Braun, 237 Robineau Road, Syracuse, N.Y. Filed Get. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 849,248 4 Claims. (Cl. 2718) This invention relates to an improvement of the garment marking machine disclosed in my copending application, Serial Number 839,474 filed September 11, 1959.

The machine disclosed in that application functions to afiix identification tags to garments, or the like, to enable the garments to be identified after processing through laundering or dry cleaning establishments, or the like. In that machine, the tags are formed from a pre-printed tape strip which is fed under the influence of gravity to a tag affixing station. At the tag affixing station, the forwardmost portion of the tape, which is printed with identification indicia, is simultaneously affixed to the garment and severed from the remaining portion of the tape strip. The means for feeding the tape forwardly in that machine comprises a channel or guide track in which the tape is received having a tape pusher mounted for reciprocation therein. The pusher is connected to a counter-weight by means of a chain entrained over' a pulley so that the pusher is normally urged forwardly in the guide track. To load a new tape strip in the guide track the pusher is first moved rearwardly with one hand of the operator, and then the operator with his other hand inserts the tape strip in the guide channel thereafter releasing both hands to permit the pusher to feed the tape strip forwardly. This has been found inconvenient in that the operator must use both hands to load a new tape strip thus preventing him from simultaneously selecting a garment for marking while loading the tape strip. As these operators are sometimes paid by an incentive system, it is most desirable that the number of operations which the operator must perform be reduced to a minimum in order to permit the operator to increase his output or production.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved tapefeed mechanism for a garment marking machine which permits fast and simple loading of a fresh tape strip in the tape feed mechanism.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the drawings- FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the invention showing the tape strip being fed forwardly.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the tape feed shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the tape feed shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a view taken looking in the direction of p the arrows of line 4-4 on FIGURE 3.

As disclosed in my copending application abovereferred to, the garment marking machine includes a main frame having a bottom plate 22 and an upstanding side wall 34 affixed thereto, the side wall '30 being affixed to another side wall portion by means of a back Wall 36.

Carried in the frame is a stapler 52 mounted in the frame between the side wall members. The stapler 52 includes a nose member 54 through which the legs 56 of the staples are projected by means of a staple driver 58. This structure is conventional and comprises no part of this invention.

Mounted on the side wall 30 is a bracket 60 which is aflixed to the side wall 30 by means of a pair of fasteners 62, see FIGURE 3. A tape feed track, generally indicated at 64, is afiixed to the upper edge of the bracket 60 by means of a plurality of clamp members 66 which clamp the guide channel 64 to the bracket 60. The clamp members 66 are fastened to the bracket 60 by any suitable fasteners 68. I

p The tape feed track 64, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 4 is generally V-shaped and comprises a pair of spaced apart side walls 70 and 72 which are formed at their upper edges with outwardly divergent portions Hand 76, the walls 70 and 72 forming a guide channel 7 8. The tape strip is of the tape disclosed in the above-referred to copending application and is received in the channel 78 between the walls 70 and 72 and the divergent wall portions 74 and 76 serve to facilitate the insertion of the tape strip in the channel 78. The channel 78 is positioned so as to feed the tape strip 80 to a stop into juxtaposition over the stapler head 52 so as to permit the forward portion of the tape strip to be affixed to a garment and severed from the remainingportion of the tape strip in the manner disclosed in the previously referred-to copending application.

The improvementto which the present invention relates is directed to a mechanism for latching and releasing the tape feed pusher, generally indicated at 82, on the tape feed track 64.

The tape feed pusher or slide 82 comprises a top plate 83 to which an L-shaped upstanding finger gripping member 86 is suitably ailixed. The plate 83 is formed at its side edges with a pair of convergent leg portions 84 and 85 which overlap the divergent wall portions 74 and 76 of the tape feed so as to permit the reciprocation of the pusher 82 on the tape feed track 64. The plate 83 is formed at its forward portion with a depending V-shaped wall portion 88 (see'FIGURE 2) which serves to engage the rear- Wardmost end of the tape strip 81 at the apex of the V-shaped wall portion 88 in order to feed the tape strip forwardly in the channel 78. As best seen in FIGURE 3, the plate 83 has an L-shaped arm 90 aflixed thereto by any suitable means such as a rivet 92. The depending portion of the arm 90 is formed with a rearwardly extending hook 94 having a cam surface 96 formed thereon.

The pusher 82 is normally urged forwardly on the tape feed track 64 by means of a chain 126 affixed at its rearward end to the pusher 82 and entrained over a pulley 128, which is mounted by any suitable means on the rear- .ward side of the bracket 60, the chain being connected at its opposite end toa weight 132. The weight 132 is received in a box-shaped guide channel 134 aflixed by any suitable means such as screws 1'36 to the side wall frame member 30.

Pi-votally mounted by means of a screw on the rear of the bracket 60, as best seen in FIGURE 3, is a release arm 142. The release arm 142 is formed at its rearward end with a portion 144 which extends normally to the main portion of the arm 142. The portion 144 is formed at its upper end with a notch 146 forming a catch for the hook 94 and a weight 148 is suitably affixed to the lower end of the portion 144.

The forward end of the arm 142is provided with transversely extending pin 150' which is received in an elongate slot 152 formed in the bracket 60. The track member 64 is notched at its lower edge so as to permit communica tion of the slot 152 with the channel 78 so that the pin 150 may move in the slot 52 into and out of position in the channel 73.

When the pusher or slide 82 is moved rearwardly along the track 64, the cam surface 96 formed on the hook 94 serves to engage and pass under the catch 146 which is biased by the weight 148 to the position shown in FIG- URE 3 whereby the pusher 82 is latched in the rearwardmost position on the track 64. With the pusher 82 thus latched, when the tape strip 80 is inserted in the channel 78, the lower edge of the tape strip engages the pin 150 which is positioned in the channel 78 by reason of the orientation of the arm 142 due to the weight 148, as just described. Complete insertion of the tape strip 80 in the channel 78 depresses the pin 150 thereby oscillating the arm 142 counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIGURE 3, so as to move the catch 146 upwardly thus releasing the hook 94 and permitting the slide 82 to feed the tape strip 80 forwardly or to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 3, under the influence of the weight 132 toward the stapler 52.

As will be obvious by the new and improved tape mechanism just described, the operator may first move the slide 82 rearwardly until it is latched in the rearwardmost position. Thereafter, the tape strip 80 may be inserted in the channel 78 thus releasing the slide 82 and permitting the tape strip to be fed forwardly. These operations may be carried out by one hand of the operator thus releasing his other hand to perform other operations at the same time as the new tape is being loaded.

What I claim is:

1. Tape feed mechanism for feeding identification tags in the form of a tape strip to a tag affixing station for attachment to a garment or the like for identification purposes comprising a guide channel for reception of said tape strip, a tape strip pusher mounted for movement forwardly and rearwardly along said channel, means normally urging said pusher forwardly to feed said tape strip to said tag affixing station, latch means for retaining said pusher in its rearwardmost position along said channel and means for releasing said latch means upon insertion of a tape strip in said channel to permit said pusher to feed said tape strip forwardly through said channel to said tag afiixing station.

2. The tape feed of claim 1, wherein said pusher is formed with a rearwardly extending hook cooperable with a catch formed on the rearward portion of a pivotally mounted gravity actuated arm, said catch engaging said hook to retain said pusher in its rearwardmost position in said channel and a transversely extending pin formed on the forward portion of said arm, said pin being received in an elongate slot having a portion communicating with the bottom of said channel, said pin being positioned in said portion when said catch engages said hook whereby upon insertion of a tape strip in said channel said pin will be depressed to pivot said arm and release said hook on said pusher.

3. A tape feed mechanism for feeding identification tags in the form of a tape strip to a tag affixing station for attachment to a garment, or like, for purposes of identification, said tape feed comprising a guide channel for receiving said tape strip, a tape pusher mounted for reciprocation on said guide channel, means normally urging said pusher forwardly along said channel, a catch cooperable with a hook formed on said pusher to retain said pusher in its rearwardmost position on said channel, said book being formed on the rearward portion of a release arm pivotally mounted adjacent said channel, a transversely extending release pin formed on the forward portion of said arm, said pin extending into an elongate slot having its upper portion communicating with the bottom of said guide channel, said pin being positioned in said upper portion of said slot in said channel when said pusher hook is engaged by said catch whereby upon insertion of said tape strip in said channel said pin will be engaged to oscillate said arm to release said catch from said hook to permit said pusher to move said tape strip forwardly in said channel.

4. A tape feed mechanism for feeding identification tags in the form of a tape strip to a tag alfixing station for attachment to a garment, or the like, for identifying purposes comprising a guide channel for reception of said tape strip, a tape strip pusher mounted for movement forwardly and rearwardly along said channel, means yieldingly urging said pusher forwardly to feed said tape strip toward said tag affixing station, latch means movable into and out of latching engagement with said pusher and operable in latching engagement to hold said pusher in its rearwardmost position, means positioned in said channel and cooperable with said latch upon insertion of a tape strip in said channel to move said latch out of said latching position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,426 Beekmann Mar. 20, 1917 1,466,161 Gunderson Aug. 28, 1923 1,964,215 Roedels June 26, 1934 2,253,311 Ward Aug. 19, 1941 

